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So this is an announcement post to say I am leaving wordpress (the site you’re looking at right now, is ran on wordpress.com not self hosted).

I’ve felt for a while that my blog needed a little bit of a revamp and I have already pushed this current template and design to the absolute limits of what it can do!

When I was looking at my blog I no longer felt inspired, even though I had content ideas I wanted to get out there and still wanted to blog, I was finding it hard to find the motivation. For a while I thought about giving up this blog all together and starting new, but I knew that whatever new thing I started would have the same essence and core that Tea in Your Twenties does, and I didn’t want to flippantly discard all the years of posting I’ve done here. I figured that what it needed was a new frame, not a blank canvas.

So I am moving (back) to blogger. I want to be able to respond to comments made from bloggers from other platforms, and have more control over the design and look of this space, without signing up to self hosting and a money commitment I just can’t make at the moment.

Over the weekend I transferred all my old posts over, and I’m just waiting for my domain to switch over and then the new design will be up and running. Hopefully in time for my Birthday, and September when I plan to return to my scheduled posting now that I’ve had a bit of a break and a revamp over the summer holidays.

The web address will be staying the same (teainyourtwenties.com) and if you follow me on Bloglovin’ all my posts will still appear as usual in your feed (touch wood) but if you are following me through the wordpress reader, sadly I won’t come up in your feed any more.

WordPress has been great and I know a fair phew of you found me through it but I’m excited to get back into my blogging groove and I hope you’ll join me over on my new (not really new) site!

In the mean time, it might be quiet on this space for a few days, I won’t be posting again until the blogger site is properly up and running, so please bear with me, and I will hopefully see you soon!

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So I’m not usually one to post a ‘how to’ blog. I’m a big fan of a reading them, and the reason I’m a big fan of reading them is because a lot of the time I really feel like I don’t have a clue about what I am doing when it comes to life. Yeah I get stuff done, but never in a neat and tidy, simple five point guide kind of manner.

HOWEVER, this week, I’ve kind of been killing it, in my own little way. And while this isn’t a single method to success, I thought I would share with you some of the tweaks I’ve made this week, that really have got my bum into gear!

Tidy up your work space (or in my case, create one)…

So I live in a flat all on my own, which kind of means I’ve been using ALL OF THE SPACE as my work space for the last year, but recently this has not led me to be very productive. Over the weekend I decided even though I don’t really have much room in my flat, and even less in my kitchen, I’d turn my kitchen table into a desk. I put up a whole bunch of post cards and creative things on the wall, replaced the washing up that used to inhabit the space with my sewing machine, and some new tins and folders from TK Maxx, and it has worked a treat! Having a nice space to work at, with in reaching distance of the kettle, has made coming home and getting my sh*t together so much easier!

Have a creative conversation…

Sometimes I can forget why I love this wee space, or why I love theatre, or writing or performing, and then I get into a really good conversation about it and suddenly I have a thousand and one ideas and all the motivation in the world. Sometimes these conversations happen by accident, and other times I crave them and seek them out. Either way talking to a friend or colleague creatively about whatever it is you need to do or love is guaranteed to reignite my passion.

Make a playlist of calming background music…

Or use somebody elses! I can’t really get work done to loud, happy music, but if I really need to concentrate something folky gently playing in the background works a treat. I think it is because I actually work best in cafes so anything that recreates that kind of vibe does wonders for me.

Start your morning right (and end your night early)…

So about 2 months ago it seemed like literally ever blogger ever was an absolute goddess and boss when it came to their morning routine, so I’m not about to give you a guide to setting up a morning routine, because quite frankly, I’m an early evening person. HOWEVER, going to bed early, and getting up early enough for me to be able to start the day with a slow breakfast, read a magazine and set the day up in a calm mode, is generally a good sign for things to come. It also means that I’m actually awake and functioning by the time I get to work. Try setting your an alarm half an hour earlier, and even if you don’t get out of bed, at least you’ll start to wake up.

Limit your distractions…

I love Netflix as much as the next girl, but it does make binge watching a little too easy. So I’ve tried to cut down that distraction to only 2 episodes of something (Pretty Little Liars) a night. I don’t find social media that distrcating, at home or at work, and I like giving myself a 5 minute break to chat to a friend every 45 minutes or so, it really is just Netflix that sucks me in. But if for you, Netflix isn’t that big a distraction but instagram is, try limiting that instead. Everyone should still switch off now and then, so don’t go cold turkey on everything, unless you really really have to.

Make a (small) list of rules to live by for the week…

I’m normally an all or nothing kind of girl, but because that can lead me to having really unhealthy extreme eating patterns, I’m trying to find a balance between self control and being human. So on Monday night I wrote myself a list of rules to follow for the rest of the week. They included no bread or sugar (because I ate an entire bakeries worth at the weekend) only one coffee a day (because I’m becoming reliant on it) and lots of fruit and veg amongst others. That might sound like exactly the extreme kind of thing I was talking about before, but my other rule, was that I was allowed to break one rule a day. But these rules don’t just need to be about eating, they could include your netflix intake, how long you spend every day writing, anything. It’s all about balance folks, you don’t have to do EVERYTHING all at once to be a superstar, instead of always focusing on what you haven’t done, reward yourself for something that you have done.

Stop, sit down, and do those tiny tasks you’ve been putting off…

It takes me a whole 10 minutes to pay my electricity bill, credit card and water bill once a month. And yet those things can sit on my to do list right up until the last minute. And most of the time that isn’t because I’m waiting for the cash to come in. It’s because I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill. Sure all together your to-do list like mine is probably more mamoth like than mole like, but there will be at least 3 things on that list you could complete in the next half an hour. Stop everything else and do them now, and when they are out of the way, I bet those other things don’t seem all that difficult either!

These things are no doubt, painfully obvious, but those are often the types of things we forget (annoyingly like, forgetting that you actually like vegetables, or that exercise makes you feel good) so I thought I’d give you a gentle reminder, so that you can spend some time this weekend, preparing for next week and getting your bum into gear.

Hello lovely ones? Here we are mid week, mid March, and I thought it might be time, for a midterm report, on how this little space of mine is doing.

Now I like you abide by the bloggers code, I don’t do this for followers. I would hope that goes without saying, but more and more I find myself getting more involved with the nature of being a blogger, and like with any hobby, I really don’t see any problem with setting yourself some goals, or highlighting some areas for improvement!

After a particularly bad bout of bloggers block at the end of last year, I started this year with a bang (in my humble opinion). For a whole month I stuck religiously to an editorial calendar, planned out posts in advance, and even scheduled in some social media. My posting hasn’t been quite so regular lately, and there have been one or two times I’ve looked at my editorial calendar and thought “ew no, I don’t want to write about that” but that is ok. What I have learnt from having a calendar and plan is that the most important thing for me is to spend some time thinking about what I am posting and that I am most happy with this little space when I have dedicated some of myself to it.

Generally speaking I’ve been really pleased with my content. You’ve all been so supportive when I’ve spoken about turning vegan and I’m always overwhelmed by the response and conversations that occur when I chat about body confidence. It is something that is so important to me, and one day I hope to use this space to do a little good where that is concerned, although for now, I hope I am doing my bit just by letting one or two of you know you’re not alone!

At the beginning of the year one of the big things I wanted to bring to this little space of mine was more posts about theatre, and I couldn’t believe that people actually found my post about what I actually do interesting! That was one of those posts which felt like a good idea, but somewhere in the middle of writing it I began to doubt myself, so glad I pushed through though, and I will definitely be sharing more of that type of thing in the future!

The other thing I really wanted to start to focus on was books and reading, but I just haven’t hit my stride with this! Writing a straight up book review just doesn’t feel natural to me, so I’m looking for a way to link the books I read to what is going on in my life. Reading has always been something I have found very personal so I want my posts to reflect that!

Last month was the first time I took some paid sponsorship out for this wee space. Like I said at the beginning, it isn’t about stats but there is nothing wrong with admitting that you want people to actually read the posts you’ve spent time and effort on! Why wouldn’t you? I never want to be a “big” blog, but I do like that now I feel part of a community not just around here, but when I visit other bloggers out there on the big old web!

One thing I’ve been a bit slack with lately is commenting on other blogs. I read my bloglovin’ feed everyday, but a bit like with posting here, I never want to comment just for the sake of it, so I’m sorry if it looks like I’ve been neglecting you lately! I’m reading and enjoying your blog I promise I’m just too exhausted to have anything interesting to say!

Another area for improvement would be my use of social media! I’m terrible at actually sharing what I’ve put up here, and while in January I made a conscious effort to improve on this, it never sunk in as a good habit. I think what I struggle with is not sounding too formulaic. I think I want twitter especially to be used as a way of having conversations with you lovely lot rather than constantly being like “oi read my post!”

Speaking of conversations by far my favourite thing to have come out of this space so far this year is getting to know one or two bloggers a bit more personally. I’ve met up with both Sarah and Holly, and emailing Toni, Amanda and Sam on my lunch break is such a simple way of brightening up my day! If you’re reading this and have ever thought about getting in touch with me or any other blogger please do! It’s amazing how quickly you’ll go from being a reader to friends!

Not to end on too negative a note, but by far my biggest piece of constructive criticism would be to start spending a little more time thinking about the photos I am taking and using. I’d really begun to improve on this last year but recently I’ve been looking at some of my instagram pictures and cringing. Hopefully the brighter weather will encourage me to start taking my real camera out more, as I think it might be time to admit that my little bashed up smart phone just isn’t cutting it!

So to conclude, generally speaking, I am very happy with this little space of mine even if I know, that like me, it may always be a bit of a work in progress! Hopefully though you’re enjoying what I out out there and if you have any comments or feedback about anything please let me know! I would love to hear which posts you’ve liked and disliked over the past couple of months… Ok I’d love to hear the posts you’ve liked, but I will take the ones you’ve disliked on the chin too!

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Hello and welcome to Tea in your Twenties! Thanks for stopping by my little spot on the internet where I chat all things, life, love, tea and theatre. I hope you pop the kettle on and stay a while,
Stephie x

If you would like to get in touch about anything at all, please email me at stephanieclaire@teacuptheatre.com I'd love to hear from you!

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